"Bea, are you okay?" tanong agad ni Aly nang makaupo kami sa loob ng isang Japanese restaurant.
We decided to change location because of what happened. Pumayag rin naman ang kambal dahil inalok sila ni Aly na bibilhan ng mga laruan.
I leaned close to her and whispered, "I'm not okay, Alysia. That man was staring at my son! I can't calm down knowing that he might probably recognise my son's physical features!"
Her forehead furrowed, "He will know the truth whether we like it or not, Bea. Hindi mo kontrolado 'yun."
"Kahit na, Aly. Masyado pang maaga para malaman nila. Natatakot akong baka kunin niya sa' kin ang mga anak ko."
"We're with you in this battle, Bea. Ang dapat paghandaan mo ay ang pagtatapat ng katotohanan kay Caleb. His father no longer has the power to control Caleb, he's son is the new CEO of their company. Sa kanya ka dapat matakot."
"H-How did you—"
"We're in the same industry, Bea. When you told me before that you don't want to hear anything about him anymore, I zipped my mouth for years. Ngayong nandito ka na ulit, dapat lang naman siguro na malaman mo ang estado ng buhay niya ngayon, " she stopped talking when the food came.
Abala sa kambal si Josh at mama samantalang kami naman itong mahinahong nagtatalo sa isang tabi.
Aly sighed heavily, she looked me in the eyes and said, "He's not the same Caleb you met 5 years ago, Bea. I hope you're prepared to face him again. I hope that you'll fulfill your promise to the twins. He's their father, Bea. He has every right to know the truth."
I'm not planning to hide my kids forever. Hindi ako gano'n ka makasarili para ipagkait sa kanila ang katotohan. Pero natatakot ako sa magiging reaksiyon ni Caleb. Like what Aly said, he changed. Everything changed. Maaaring hindi niya matanggap ang mga bata. Para sa 'kin okay lang 'yun pero natatakot ako sa magiging epekto nito sa mga anak ko. They might think that their father is a bad person for running away from his responsibilities. Ayokong mangyari 'yun kaya mas mabuting pag-isipan ko muna ang lahat ng gagawin kung sakaling magkita man kami muli.
The kids went on a toy shop after we ate our lunch. My mom and Josh went with them. Kami naman ni Aly ang nagpasyang mamili ng mga grocery para sa bahay. She told me that she's planning to have a welcome party for me. Gusto daw akong makita nila Cyrus at ng iba pa niyang mga kaibigan.
"There's no need for a welcome party, Aly. Gastos lang 'yun. Tsaka pwede namang imbitahin ko sila tapos magkape o tsaa nalang kami sa bahay." I insisted, putting two-different cereal boxes on the cart.
She stopped walking and rolled her eyes, "Tea party?! Parang sobrang formal naman ata no'n, Bea. Tsaka hindi mo ba na-miss pumunta sa mga party? Halos limang taon ka kayang puro anak ang inaatupag. Mag-enjoy ka naman!"
"I am having fun while taking care of my kids, Alysia."
She pulled two bottles of hard liquor from the shelf and raised it to the air, "Loosen up, mommy. You're no longer gettin' younger. You have to have fun. So, we'll have a party, and you can't do anything to stop it."
It was a Saturday night when Aly decided to held the party. Sa bahay nila sa QC kami pansamantalang nanunuluyan. Their house was a two-storey modern building located on a private subdivision. It has a small pool on the back and a garden. May maliit din itong parking space sa harap. It was a big house for us, knowing that we're only five in the family.
